


Shattered

by aggiepuff, Whedonista93



Series: Zutara Week 2019 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Prompt Fic, Shattered - Freeform, Zutara, Zutara Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 17:57:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20050198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aggiepuff/pseuds/aggiepuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: When Katara accidentally destroys a priceless set of heirloom china, she's sure Zuko is going to be furious - she never expects him to laugh.





	Shattered

**Author's Note:**

> Pyrate is a red turtleduck from one of our Zuatara Week 2018 fics - not necessary to read that one (though it's one of my personal favorites if you wanted to) - it was just a fun little cameo.

"Shit, shit, shit," Katara chanted the curse over and over as she hopped around, trying to avoid the glass shards all over the floor.

"My Lady, are you well?" Her lady's maid's voice on the other side of the door was a bit panicked - no wonder with the absolute racket Katara had caused knocking over the china cabinet.

"Fine!" Katara reassured. She looked at the mess surrounding her. "Just going to be divorced and exiled before my first anniversary for destroying a priceless family heirloom," she muttered under her breath. “Shit, Zuko’s gonna kill me. No, Pyrate, don't do that.” She grabbed the little turtleduck up, stopping him from scuttling on the sharp, broken edges of shattered plateware. He squawked at her but she didn't hear. She stared at the glittering shards, at a complete loss.

She was still staring at the mess, trying to figure out how to clean it up without asking a servant for a broom, when Zuko strolled into their wing a little while later. She heard his footfalls behind her and braced herself for the tirade. The footsteps stopped. Anxiety welled in her gut. He was going to hate her. He was going to divorce her. He would never want to see her again.

Suddenly,laughter filled the room. Rafter shaking, belly aching laughter that almost deafened her. Katara spun on her heel. 

Zuko was doubled over, clutching his sides, tears streaming down his face, laughing so hard his face was turning as red as his clothes.

“Uh… Zuko?”

It took two minutes, two excruciatingly long minutes, of Zuko trying and failing to collect himself before he managed to straighten, gasping for breath. But he didn't speak. He grinned at her, wet tracks on his cheeks, dark eyes dancing.

Katara quickly lost her patience. “Zuko!”

He surprised her again by plucking Pyrate from her arms, setting the turtleduck safely down in his little glass box, then hauling her into him and kissing her until her toes curled. When they broke apart she gasped for air and Zuko beamed down at her. “I love you.”

Katara huffed and shoved his shoulder. “I just _ shattered _ the _ entire _ set of our wedding china - your _ priceless _ family heirloom - and you’re laughing and kissing me?!”

He pulled her forward and kissed her again, all fire and heat and toe-curling passion.

She shoved him away before he could distract her.

Zuko held his hands up in surrender. “Katara, sweetheart, I _ hated _ those dishes. Uncle has been trying to destroy them for _ years _ . I almost died when they showed up in our wedding gifts. They were _ awful_. I don’t know how you did it, but _ thank you_.” He kissed her again, and this time, she let herself be thoroughly distracted.

Later, much later, Zuko sent for Iroh, who laughed even harder at the mess than Zuko had. He patted Katara’s shoulder fondly. “Do not worry, dear girl. Honestly, what was the point of embedding fire rubies in a platter?”

Katara giggled and shrugged.

“I am curious how it happened, though.”

Katara winced. “Uh, I was bending a little river around the room for Pyrate to play on and he got over excited and tried to swim up the cabinet, and I went to catch him and uh, sorta, well… tripped? Into the corner of the cabinet.” Katara shrugged helplessly. “It all happened so fast. The whole thing just went over.”

Iroh chuckled. “The world is a far more beautiful place without them, Lady Katara. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am late for tea with Lady Toph.” Iroh stopped next to Zuko on his way out the door to make a quiet suggestion. “The fire rubies would be much lovelier in a necklace, don't you think, nephew?”

Zuko nodded gratefully.

* * *

On their first anniversary, Zuko presented Katara with an ornate but tasteful jewelry set crafted from the melted down gold and fire rubies. She laughed - after she was done whining about how he could never let her live anything down.

That night, the Royal Court threw a grand celebration in honor of their marriage and Katara wore her new jewelry with pride. The only dark spot came when Lady Asagi approached to greet them.

The old woman was a bull-toad in Katara's opinion, fat and mean, but she was also Zuko's great aunt so she smiled when Lady Asagi gave her a disdainful once over, squinty eyes catching on the rubies sparkling at Katara's neck. "My," the old woman said, "what an... interesting necklace."

Katara grimaced. “Unfortunately, our wedding china suffered a bit of an accident.” She tucked her hand firmly into the crook of Zuko’s elbow. “Zuko was thoughtful enough to have the gold and rubies crafted into this set for me.” Katara let her hand drift up to the necklace.

Lady Asagi sniffed disdainfully. “Spitting in the face of tradition, if you ask me. Should’ve had the china remade.”

Zuko’s smile was tight. “To my knowledge, we didn’t ask you.”

Katara pinched the inside of his elbow. Zuko's politely bland smile, the one he learned from Iroh, remained firmly fixed to his face.

Katara repressed the urge to roll her eyes, turning back to Lady Asagi. “I’m so sorry to hear you feel that way, Auntie. We had the loveliest earrings made for you from some of the fire rubies since we know how much you loved the history and tradition behind the set.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko bite his lip - a telltale sign he was trying not to laugh.

Lady Asagi froze. 

"But if you don't want them..." Katara trailed off delicately, expression sincere and innocent.

“You… I…” Lady Asagi took a deep breath. “You honor me, My Lady.”

Katara smiled serenely. “I can have a courier deliver them to you later this week, if you’d like?”

The older woman inclined her head. “My thanks.”

“We didn’t do that,” Zuko muttered as Lady Asagi stepped away.

Katara grinned. “Not yet, but I’m fairly certain a craftsman from the Southern Water Tribe came in on one of the merchant ships yesterday.”

Zuko snorted wine through his nose. "She'll hate them."

"But she will wear them," Katara whispered back, watching Lady Asagi berate a young nobleman across the room. "She has to. Propriety and social etiquette demand it."

Zuko grinned.

It didn't take long for rumors of a betting pool to spread through the palace servants. According to Katara's lady's maid, if such a thing existed, the head footman would be in charge of the pot.

As Katara readied for a small party to welcome the Earth Kingdom Ambassador, her lady's maid whispered that was 5 to 1 odds Lady Asagi wouldn't wear the earrings. Katara told her maid to bet that she _ would _ and they'd split the pot when they won.

At dinner Katara lifted her head a little higher, trying to keep the smugness from her face, when Lady Asagi waddled into the dining room, ruby and gold earrings dangling almost to her collarbone, the design unmistakably Water Tribe.

Iroh almost had to excuse himself, he started coughing so hard, but Katara saw the twinkle in his eyes and knew he was trying not to laugh.

Toph pounded him on the back. “I know, old man, I’m hilarious, but you gotta breathe.”

Katara shot her friend a grateful smile, even though she couldn’t see it, before she buried her own face in Zuko’s shoulder to suppress her giggles.


End file.
